With licence not in place, Higgins Fashion League in Dubai postponed

By Nivedita

New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) Higgins Fashion League 2017, a three-day fashion event that was scheduled to take place in Dubai with some of India's ace designer labels participating in it, has been postponed because organisers did not get the required licence from the authorities.

Founded by Sriram and directed by Liza Varma, the fashion extravaganza was scheduled to take place at Sobha Hartland in Dubai.

However, on Tuesday, Varma issued an apology to the Indian media which was due to travel for the gala -- including IANS -- for the inconvenience caused.

"We sincerely regret to inform you that our event has been postponed with such short notice due to our venue sponsor, Sobha Hartland, unable to get the necessary grants and licences to host our fashion show and exhibition.

"We were only informed of this last afternoon and have desperately spent all of yesterday trying to figure out an alternative venue so this crisis could be averted. But sadly it is impossible to gain this necessary licence from the government of Dubai (Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing) via any hotel also in a span of two days vis-a-vis when our event starts," the mail reads.

Varma said they will come up with fresh dates soon.

"We are trying our level best to sort that out on priority basis."

When the event was announced, organisers had said over 50 exhibitors, including various national and international designers, including Satya Paul, Lecoanet Hemant, Charu Parashar, David Tlale from South Africa, Hindi Couture from Paris, Lida Oreilly from Mauritius, Royal Fables Trunk Collection, Silver Tulip, It's all about weaves and more, would participate.

Talking to IANS, Sagar said the postponement won't affect his brand. However, he said it's not good for the organisers to make an announcement and then cancel it.

"It's not a setback for us per se, but it's not good for the organisers. They can't arrange an event to cancel it. I am sorry to tell you that the mistake is not neutralised. Asking for authorization now means they initiated very late. This is what I don't agree when people give excuses.

"If you want a good fashion show, then everything has to be organised," he added.

Parashar, who had other plans in Dubai during the same time, says it will cause "inconvenience for new brands".

"I have four to five things happening at the same time, so this won't affect me that much. I had some of previews happening at the store at the same time. If I need to fly down (to Dubai), I will fly on my own for the preview, because I can't cancel that.

"The postponement can affect those brands who are new, but it's not a big deal for me," she told IANS.

Some Bollywood celebrities and former beauty queens like Neha Dhupia and Parvathy Omanakuttan were also slated to be part of the event.

(Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in)